


Gimme Some Sugar

by PBnJ



Category: Venom (Movie 2018)
Genre: Agender Character, Chocolate makes everything better, Cookie Dough, Established Relationship, Hot Cocoa, Hurt/Comfort, Nightmares, Other, Possibly OOC, Psychological Trauma, fluffy af
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2018-12-09
Updated: 2018-12-09
Packaged: 2019-09-14 13:56:06
Rating: General Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 1
Words: 1,141
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/16914123
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/PBnJ/pseuds/PBnJ
Summary: Nightmares suck. Hot cocoa and hugs help.





	Gimme Some Sugar

Fire. All around. Can’t get away from it. Too hot. Falling. Going to die.

Eddie Brock gasps awake. It takes him several seconds to realize that he’s in his bed, in his shitty little apartment. His pillow is damp with sweat. His heart is pounding. Eddie takes deep, slow breaths. Nightmare. It was a nightmare. 

Eddie’s deep breathing doesn’t dispel the sick feeling of panic or slow his heart back to a normal pace. It wasn’t his nightmare, Eddie realizes. He was just along for the ride. 

“Venom.” Eddie lightly slaps his own cheek. Pap-pap-pap-pap-pap. “Wake up, buddy.” The secondhand sense of impending doom makes his voice shaky.

“Venom!” He tries again, more loudly. “Wake up!”

He has to yell their name before they come out of stasis. They’re quivering, and it’s making him tremble. The next door neighbor is up, now, and he’s directing unkind words through the thin wall. The complaining is white noise as Eddie gets out of bed and heads to the kitchen.

He puts the kettle on and pours a packet of instant hot cocoa mix into a red mug. The mug once had a smiling snowman on it; there’s just a faded blotch of white left now. When the water’s hot enough, Eddie pours some into the mug. As he stirs, Venom pokes their head out and slithers partway down Eddie’s arm. They sip the still-steaming cocoa as Eddie holds the mug.

Venom finishes the cocoa, licks the mug clean, and butts their head against Eddie for more. Without a word, Eddie gets out a couple more packets. The water’s still hot, so it’s easy for Eddie to make Venom a second mug of cocoa. They drain a total of five mugs of cocoa before they’re done. They so thoroughly licked out the mug that Eddie doesn’t need to rinse it out before he puts it in the dishwasher. 

Venom tucks their head under Eddie’s chin, and Eddie gathers the small projection of symbiote to his chest and rubs the black goo like he would rub a human’s back. Eddie’s chest isn’t tight now and his heart has slowed down, so he ventures, “You wanna talk about it?”

[No.]

They’re embarrassed, and a little ashamed. 

“Okay.” 

Venom has had nightmares about the showdown before: Riot’s snapping teeth. Sinking deeper and deeper into cold black water. Being all alone. Some nights Eddie wakes up in tears. They usually don’t want to talk about it. Chocolate helps. So does touch.

Tonight, Eddie curls up on the couch and pulls a blanket over both of them. He holds the bundle of symbiote close and strokes their head. 

“You know being scared doesn’t make you weak, right?”

[That’s what weaklings say to make themselves feel better.]

Eddie smiles, but he keeps pressing. “Seriously. We went through some traumatic shit. You almost died.”

[No shit.]

Eddie kisses the corner of their scowling mouth. “Sweetheart, it’s okay if you’re not over it.”

They snort. [Sweetheart?] 

Eddie owns it. “Yeah, that’s right, sweetheart. Deal with it.”

[You are ridiculous.] They wind around Eddie’s neck. [I need more chocolate.]

“After five mugs of cocoa?” Eddie exclaims. “Now who’s being ridiculous?” 

[Eddieeeeee.] Venom butts against his cheek. [I’m traumatized. I need chocolate.]

Eddie presses his lips together to keep a straight face as he shakes his head. “Let’s see if we can find something for the princess.”

[Princess?!]

Eddie can’t help smirking. Venom is still railing at him when he arrives at the fridge. They quiet down when he takes out a tub of chocolate chip cookie dough. Eddie grabs a spoon and then sits down on the couch. Venom pools in his lap and rests their head on his belly. 

For the next forty minutes, they work on the cookie dough, taking turns using the same spoon. Whenever Eddie digs down to excavate a large chunk of chocolate for his symbiote, Venom squirms impatiently against him and only settles down when he holds the full spoon to their mouth. When Eddie is toeing the line between feeling cookied up and sick, he stops eating but keeps digging out spoonfuls for his Other. 

Venom is relaxed and full of chocolate. Eddie seizes the moment.

“Maybe we could try going to counseling.” 

Venom nearly spits cookie dough down their front. [A therapist, Eddie? Seriously?] 

“Seriously, I think it’d be good for both of us.”

[Oh, yes. All we have to do is find someone who specializes in large, carnivorous aliens.] 

Eddie feeds them another chunk of dough. “You wouldn’t have to show yourself to them. You could do the talking in my voice.”

[There are so many ways that that could go wrong.]

“You’re right.” Eddie concedes. “But it really might help to talk some of this out with someone who’s a pro. Will you think about it?” 

Venom eats two spoonfuls of cookie dough as they consider their answer. Then they ripple up to Eddie’s chest and give him a sugary-tasting kiss. Eddie cradles their head and leans into the kiss to deepen it. They lick traces of leftover chocolate from his molars.

[We’ll think about it.]

Eddie pops his mouth away to respond. “I appreciate that.”

[Can we stay here tonight?]

Eddie’s not sure if they just mean here on the couch, or if they want to stay all cuddled up as well. Either way, the answer is yes.

“We sure can. Just let me put-“ He looks into the empty tub. “I guess we don’t have to put the dough back in the fridge.”

[I took care of that for us. You’re welcome.]

Eddie smiles as he stretches out on the couch and pulls the blanket over both of them again. “Thanks, princess.”

[Asshole.]

“Loser.”

[Bitch.]

They congeal on Eddie’s chest and tuck their face against his neck. Eddie strokes the mass on his chest. Venom leans over to nibble on his arm, and Eddie takes the hint. He wraps his arms around them. They rumble with contentment. He rubs the back of their head with his thumb till they slip into sleep together.

Venom dreams of plunging into the water, but this time it’s different.

This time, they dream that Eddie fishes them out. Dream Eddie wraps them in a blanket (the same one that’s pulled over both of them now) and holds them to his chest. As they shiver, he rubs their back and tells them that everything is okay now. That they never have to be alone again.

Eddie feels a rush of fierce protectiveness, and he hugs Venom tighter without waking up. They’re his darling, and he loves them in a way that he’s never loved anyone else. He’ll do anything to protect them, and nothing is ever going to separate them again.

Arms all around. Warm. Held. Safe. 

Eddie Brock sleeps soundly, and Venom’s stasis is peaceful.

**Author's Note:**

> TFW you don't have to worry about salmonella and can eat all the cookie dough you want


End file.
